Hi everyone, I've been lurking these forums off and on for around four years and decided it was time to make an account and start drilling into some things a little more as I try to get a little more serious about paddling and also conducting a search for the ideal canoe for my wife and I.

As I was going through the Rapid Media Paddling Buyer's Guide, I came across this article at the front of the canoeing section.

A fun read. Truth in the title for sure. Acquiring "stuff" rarely makes anyone "happy". Boats, though, sure can figure largely in scenarios involving fun, pleasure, excitement, and the making of memories. Happiness is something grander and harder to define than the nouns I suggest here. Thanks for posting, joshmanicus.

Years ago a friend said I had browbeaten him into buying a canoe. He used the excuse that he'd have to rent a canoe if he was to join me and friends on day paddles. I got tired of hearing that so I gave him my std advice---go buy a cheap used canoe--any canoe! (well, not quite--no Colemans). He did and he made us both a lot happier. So it may not work for new boats---don't know, have never bought one---but it works for used ones.

Very cool article joshmanicus. Seems like we have some characteristic built into our DNA...maybe to help make sure we eat without being too picky? I know quite a bit about canoes but don't think I could ever buy a new kayak or bicycle since there are so many choices, so I'd immediately go for something used knowing that it might not be the perfect choice. I used to work in automotive and I remember hearing that some people stick to one brand of vehicle throughout their lives partly because it simplifies the decision-making.

That said, I can think of several canoes that I'm almost sure would make me just a little bit happier.

The following is what I was dealing with when I originally posted this article, and it's what some of you have eluded to.

Quote:

In the following pages, you’ll find more than a hundred drool-worthy canoes. Boats for cruising, tripping, fishing, hunting, picnicking, river running, racing and more.

Prepare yourself.

Composite or polyethylene? Vinyl or wood? 15 feet or 17? Bench or bucket? Traditional or modern? An inch of rocker or two? Red or green? These are just some of the choices on the very first page. Schwartz likely believes canoeists would have been happier with their purchases back in the ‘60s, choosing between only wood-canvas and aluminum.

What if you buy a sleek carbon model, only to wonder if you’d perhaps get more use and have less stress with a rugged polyethylene model. Or worse perhaps, buy the rugged poly hull, and then curse the extra 50 pounds on portages and wonder if you’d go tripping farther and more often if you’d chosen a featherlight boat.

Stop that.

A friend of mine was in this quandary. Last year’s Paddling Buyer’s Guide sat on his living room coffee table all winter. Pages were dog-eared and shortlisted canoes circled in black Sharpie. As spring bloomed into summer and then faded into fall, his roof racks ran empty. Paralysis by analysis.

“There’s just too many options. There’s no one best boat,” Dave told me. And he’s right. Perfection is impossible.

Schwartz’s antidote to limitless choice is to get comfortable with imperfection. “Good enough is almost always good enough,” advises Schwartz. “You don’t need to find the best. There’s virtually no difference between the best and any number of alternatives which are almost as good as the best. If you’re looking for good enough, choosing becomes a lot less onerous.”

There’s no single boat boasting the fastest speed, most maneuverability, best stability, lightest weight, greatest durability, prettiest aesthetics and lowest price. There’s no so-called best canoe, yet any canoe is better than no canoe.

So, to all the Daves out there, buy a canoe. You’ll be much happier for it. If you don’t believe the research, just go paddling.

A new canoe may not make me happier, or at least not as happy as a used canoe, especially if I am looking for a hull to fill a particular niche and find one priced to sell, even if it needs some repairs and refurbishment.

That latter part, resurrecting an old hull for a specific niche or purpose, always makes me happy

I think the article is written with the wrong assumption, namely that there is much choice in canoes because there are so many for sale... But in fact most of them are about the same. (Which is understandable, because they have to be sold well enough to make a living.)So not much choice then, and a new one will be about the same as what you have, and consequently will likely not make you that happier.For example I now wouldn't mind having a smaller Redwing Osprey with possibly somewhat less prismatic coefficient in a lightweight but durable all cloth lay-up, for about the same price as the regular versions. This would probably be a boat that would make me happier, but unfortunately it is not for sale...

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